Fresh Eyes for a Harlem Apartment

When you score a beautiful and affordable apartment in New York, you don’t let it go - you pass it down to your friends. That was exactly the case with this sun-soaked, two-bedroom in Harlem.

After one roommate left for Los Angeles, the remaining tenant was ready to make the space feel more like home — but didn’t know where to start. That’s where I came in: with fresh eyes, a tight budget, and a focus on creating something new using what she already had.

We kept most of the furniture, much of which had been passed down from the previous roommate’s grandparents, added a new couch and rug for comfort and cohesion, and sourced the rest by scouring Facebook Marketplace.

The result? A space that feels completely transformed. Warmer, more personal, and unmistakably hers without losing the layered charm of the home's past.